Belgium's Indentured Laborers: Suriname's Hidden History

The History of Belgium: A Small Country with a Giant Colonial Legacy — Fexingo History · Sep 23, 2026 · 8m · transcript

While the brutal history of the Congo Free State under Leopold II dominates the conversation about Belgian colonialism, there is another layer to Belgium’s overseas entanglements that often goes unnoticed. This episode shifts focus to the Caribbean and the complex legacy of Suriname. We explore how the Society of Antwerp Merchants and the Ostend Company attempted to establish a foothold in the New World, drawing on the earlier frameworks of the Dutch West India Company. The narrative centers on the human cost of this ambition, specifically through the lives of indentured laborers like Kofi…